Folding lid for open topped cabinets



Feb. 12, 1952 B E FRElTAG 2,585,645

FOLDING LID FOR OPEN TOPPED CABINETS Filed Jan. 7, 1950 l'rw'vevwtorn-` Bren-E. Freitag y, f f His Attorneg.

Patented Fels. 12,

FQLDING EQKOPEN TQPPED-CABINETS Byron; E; Freitag; .Fort Wayne;.v Ind.,I assigner tpl: General.` Electric; Gnmpanyi, al cornorratipn vii Applicationjlnuary'f, 195,0; SerialNo; 137;.332; n

iclaim... (c1. 16a-.20st

My invention relates4 to folding lidi assemblies for open top cabinets and particularly" those for thermally insulated refrigerator cabinets.

open toppedfcabinets, particularly those em'` ployedin storesfor-dispensing merchandise, it is desirablethat a large area ofthecabinet'interior bie-readily accessible, and-varioustypesof lid or closureI assemblieshave been provided for, this purpose; Among the various types of lid-1 aserencel maybe hadl'to-the accompanying drawingv invwlni'eh-Fig.v 1 is alperspective' viewfofiaportionf. ofa refrigerated cabinetfaprovidedwith a lidaseA sembly embodying'- my invention; Fig. .2 is amen--l larged'-longitudinal-elevation view, partly` in sec-1 semblies4 those employing so-called folding lidsY l0l offthehinge construction'.` l

have madeV it possibleto open substantially the: entire cabinetl top'; however. difficultyv has been encountered in providing; suitable i arrangements for= moving: the-v lids-and: for retaining them ink theirdesired-openfposition. Accordingly itis an obectoff myinvention to -provide-= a lidassembly fore-open topped cabinets-including an improved. arrangement for moving lathe lids .toi-and retaining them intheir open position.

Referring now tothe drawing, as shownaintiga 1, athermally insulated; cabinet I' is provided.`

with` a rectangular top-opening ll'which may be:` closed'- by a pair of lid's- |21;A andL I3fshown-in-thein 1.5: openposition.` The lids. I2 and I3 varehingedlto gether along their' adjacent abutting edges; thea hinge beingv positioned generally in'A the plane of! the lower faces-fofthe-lids, asindicatedj at? I4 in- Fig; 2;

Itvis-anotherfobjectfof my inventionto provide mounting 'elements such as-rollers I'5at its-cor a folding-lid assembly-fon open topped cabinets including` any improved arrangement .for securing anl effective-seal..between.` thev lids` andk the cabi-r netinv the closed-position Vof the lids.

ners remote lfrom theY hinge I4 and the-lid:l I3 is` provdedwith similar-elements orfrollers- I6. The rollers I5 andA IGengage-guide members I'I":fse'` cured tov the cabinetlv I0 along-rV thetopsf of the It Si-affurt'her` object of my invention to provide. 2 5; innergwalls -on two sidesY thereof:` Therollersst an improved `folding-lid assembly for. opentoppedf cabinets-which `shall .beeasy and safe to manipu-A latefand'whichshall providereadyaccess to the? entire'cabinet:

tion'fwillf-become apparent as the following descrlption proceedshand the features of novelty which characterize-myinventionLWill be pointed outfwithparticularityg-inthe claim annexed to and forming a part of this specication;

In carryingvioutj,I the iobj ectsof my. invention, I provide a folding lid assembly comprising two rectangular lids hinged together along onerside. lyingcentrally of anopen..top cabinet, thea-hinge aglsgbeiugfat the-bottom so that: the lidsi-mayibe lifted and folded together. Thelids. are mounted in guiding and supporting members extending along the side of the cabinet top, and rollers or other mounting elements at the corners of the lids remote from the hinge engage guide tracks provided on these members. The guide tracks are sloped upwardly from both ends toward the center and thus when the lids are folded together they may be moved to one side of the center so that the force of gravity will help to hold them in their open position. Gaskets along the ends of the lids are compressed by the toggle action of the lids when they are moved to their closed position and provide effective sealing.

For a. better understanding of my invention refin channel-shaped' portionsh ofl theV membersl II; oneofwhich is indicated at I8` in Fig. 12. The rollers are thus y confined tothe; channeleshaped n Y Y sections which*aetgasgnidejtracks: The/mannerVH Further obJects and advantageso fmyeinven-l sein whichtheroHers engage thejtracksisclearlyy shownin Fig. 3;,which showsa crosspsection-of the guide' members, llwithA the'- rollers I5=-\inposition on the channeltrack I8. Asfclearl'y shownA in this figure., the tcabinet comprises ,anin-nei--wall` or tank; I 9j and `an outer metalwall 20 separatedby thermal'insulation.21. The guide'member I'I is constructedu ofA a' material oflow thermaljcon ductivity; such asa suitable plastic,- and-'formsa connecting link or thermal"breakenstripbetween` 40,-fthevmetal of theouter wall andthat'oftha innen wall," vI S'. Member, I"I^v is securedin-f position by a plurality` of machine screws 22 engaging'-k nuts 23 welded or otherwise suitably secured to the inner side of the outer wall 20. The guide member I'I is formed to provide a shelf or shoulder 24, and the closed position of the lid assembly is determined by the shoulder 24, the lids resting on the top surface thereof. For purposes of sealing the opening between the lid and the shoulder, each lid is provided with a suitable sealposition, rollers I5 and I6 moving along the The lid I2,` is provided withy suitable'.

` rotating them about a vertical axis, the rollers being spaced sufficiently from the sides of the number I'I to permit removal in this manner.

In order to seal the ends of the lids remote from the hinge, gaskets 28 are provided on the i lids in positions so that they extend beyond the metal walls I9 and 20 along the end walls of the cabinet. As clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4,

the space along the hinged edges of the lids is y sealed by a gasket 30 secured along the edges of the two lids. ting cushioning portions 3I and 32, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, and a connecting web portion 33. The Vgasket 30 also acts as the Vthermal breaker strip at the inner ends of the lids b etween the top and bottom metal shells of the lids. The lid I2, for example, comprises an outer metal shell 34 and an inner shell 35, both shellsV being inwardly flanged and engaging grooves formed in the heavy base portion of the gasket indicated at 36. When the lids are moved to their closed position the cushioning portions 3| and 32 engage and are compressed between the edges; this closes the space between the lids to provide a pleasing appearance while maintaining sufcient spacing between the lid edges to prevent pinching of the operators ngers on closing the lids. movement the lids act as a toggle and compress the gaskets 28 laterally in a generally horizontal plane against the ends of the walls of the cabinet and provide an effective seal against the vertical breaker strips 29.V v

The channel-shaped track portions I8 ofthe guide member I'I are made to slope upwardlyr from their ends toward their center portions, so that the rollers I5 and I6 on moving from the end toward the center must move uphill. Thus, the roller I6 in Fig. l has been moved up the slope toward the center indicated at 3l and then has moved past the center toward the other end of the cabinet, until the lids have been folded together at that end. The rollers I6 must moveY back uphill toward the center in order to re-` turn-to their closedposition. Thus the force of gravity tends to hold the lids in their folded position at either end of the cabinet when they Ahave been moved together, it being necessary for the rollers to move uphill in order to separate. Furthermore the lids when folded may be moved easily along the tracks from one end of the opening to the other.

I have found that a construction as illustrated and described above provides a lid assembly which This gasket comprises two abut-Y Also, on the closingA may be opened easily and without the necessity of moving the lids away from the cabinet and, further, without requiring that the operator hold the lids in their open position. Thus a large area of the cabinet is made accessible easily and without annoyance from the lid assembly. The construction may readily be adapted to cabinets having lids extending lengthwise of relatively long rectangular openings, it being understood that the proportions as indicated in the drawing have been selected merely by way of example and do not constitute a structural limitation.

From the foregoing it is readily apparent that I have provided a simple and effective arrangement for facilitating the movement and handling of folding lids for open top cabinets and that the lids constructed in accordance with my invention `may be made to provide an effective seal when substantially liush with that of said cabinet and V comprising a pair of substantially rectangularlids hinged together along adjacent edges toV afford swinging movement of the lower faces of the lids toward one another, means including,

guide tracks of channel-shaped cross section secured to said cabinet within said opening and; along two sides thereof and opening towardsaid lids on either side ofsaid opening for supporting said lids on said cabinet, and mounting elements on said lids on fixed parallel axes near the outer edges thereof remote from said hinged-edges andV resting within said tracks for affording movement of said lids from a closing position to a Yfolded position, said elements being retained'insaid tracks throughout movement of said lids and constraining said ends of said lids to move onvsaid axes along said guides in alignment therewith, said lids in theirfolded positionl being freely movable along said guides,` said guide ,tracks sloping upwardly from both ends Vtoward the center whereby the hinged edges of` lsaid lids may be lifted and the lids moved together to a folded position at eitherend of said opening whereupon the force of gravity will tend to hold saidrlids their folded position.

REFERENCES/CITED IThe following references are'of record .ini-thef ille of this patent: A

" yUNI'llilD VSTATES PATENTSV Number. Name 2,268,192 Davis et al. Dec. 301941 2,374,925 Corso .May 13; 1245 VVBYRN FiaErrA y Date-.-

Frohnapel --.-s.; .Nov-19 1946? 

